Cheshire (comics)
Encyclopedia
Cheshire is a DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

 villain that first appeared in New Teen Titans Annual #2 (1983).

Fictional character biography

Born (allegedly, see below) to a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 father and a Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...

 mother, Jade Nguyen had an unhappy childhood and was sold into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

. As a young adult, after killing her master, Jade was informally adopted by Chinese freedom fighter Weng Chan, who taught her all he knew about guerrilla fighting. She acquired knowledge of poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....

s from Kruen Musenda, a famed African assassin known as the "Spitting Cobra" and to whom she was married for the two years prior to his death.

She is a long-standing rival of the superhero team the Teen Titans. However, when Roy Harper, a.k.a. the archer Speedy
Roy Harper (comics)
Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...

, went undercover for the government in a mission to get her confidence and turn her over, the two fell passionately in love. Knowing he would not be able to turn her in, he walked out; Cheshire would not learn his true identity until later. The result of their romance was a daughter, Lian, whom Roy raised.

Returning to her mercenary ways after leaving Lian behind for Roy, Jade saved Deathstroke
Deathstroke
Deathstroke the Terminator , originally simply the Terminator, and known by the Teen Titans as Slade, is a fictional character, a supervillain and sometimes antihero in the DC Comics Universe. He is a mercenary and assassin who first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2...

's life so he could help her in stealing nuclear weapons from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 in an attempt to blackmail the world. To prove she is not bluffing, she obliterates the fictional Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 nation of Qurac
Qurac
Qurac is a fictional country in the DC universe. It is a tiny Middle Eastern country on the Persian Gulf, wedged between Iraq and Kuwait. Qurac is often used when DC has need of a terrorist state in the Middle East.-History:...

, reasoning that since Qurac is a stronghold of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 terrorists, that Western countries would be secretly grateful. Cheshire's plans were foiled when her base came under attack and she was forced to flee. She later created her own team, The Ravens.

Cheshire volunteered to join Tartarus, a group created by Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....

 with the objective of destroying the Titans. During a confrontation with the Titans and the H.I.V.E, Savage shot Cheshire to distract Arsenal. She recovered, but was taken into custody for crimes including destroying Qurac. Sentenced to life imprisonment, she was broken out by the Ravens. Arsenal, however, forced her back into custody.

Eventually, Cheshire discovers that her biological father was a Senator named Robert Pullman, and she attempted to torture and kill him. To that end, she defeated Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva is a fictional comic book character co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter as an antagonist of Richard Dragon...

, and devised a plan to use her to fake her own death and flee the country with her daughter. Jade ties up Shiva, duct tape
Duct tape
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...

s her mouth shut, and locks her in the trunk of her car (which was wired to explode), hoping that the authorities will find the charred body of an Asian woman in the flaming car wreck and believe that Jade was killed while fleeing the Senator's murder. Unfortunately for her, Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...

 and Gypsy
Gypsy (comics)
Gypsy is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. She first appeared in Justice League Annual #2 and was created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton. She is a member of the Birds of Prey and has been a member of the Justice League.-Fictional character biography:Cindy Reynolds is born to...

 show up and untie Shiva, while Huntress
Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
Huntress is a fictional character in the DC Universe. Based upon the Earth-Two character Helena Wayne, she is one of several DC characters to bear the Huntress name...

 and Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...

 stop Jade from murdering the Senator, and then took her into custody. While escaping the scene of the attempted assassination, Jade is punched in the face and thrown out of the helicopter the women were escaping in by Black Canary to avoid being beaten to death by an enraged Shiva.

In 2005, she appeared in the miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

 Villains United
Villains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...

as a member of the Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...

. Cheshire had been blackmailed into joining by Mockingbird, who claimed that there was a small bomb implanted in the back of Lian's head. During the series, she slept with Thomas Blake, a.k.a. Catman
Catman (comics)
Catman is a modern version of a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics, initially a supervillain and foe of Batman, although in recent years has developed into a more capable and antiheroic figure. He first appeared in Detective Comics #311...

, and became pregnant with a replacement child, thereby allowing her to leave the team and no longer needing to worry for Lian's safety. At the end of the miniseries, having betrayed the Six to Luthor
Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....

's Society, she is shot and critically wounded by Deathstroke. As the faux Luthor orders the Society's withdrawal, one of his last commands is to bring Cheshire with, provided she's still alive.

After the "Villains United" series, she later turned up alive, living in a mansion in the Himalaya Mountains with her son by Blake. Working with Vandal Savage again, she put out hits on the other members of the Secret Six except for Blake. Taking matters into her own hands, she stabs the Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter (comics)
The Mad Hatter is a fictional supervillain and enemy of Batman in the DC Universe. He is modeled after the Hatter from Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a character often called the "Mad Hatter" in adaptations of Carroll. He made his first appearance in Batman #49 in October...

, who is working with the Six. Her blade was poisoned (as usual) and she later bartered the antidote to the poison to Catman in exchange for her safety.

In Justice League of America (vol. 2) #12, Cheshire was shown in prison, receiving a visit from Roy Harper and Lian.

In the Justice League of America Wedding Special, Cheshire was shown to be a member of the new Injustice League
Injustice League
The Injustice League is the name of two fictional teams of supervillains in the .-Original League :The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. Bored of his dominion, he set out to conquer Earth and their champions, the Justice League...

. She was later seen among the exiled villains in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...

.

Cheshire returned as a member of a small army of villains attempting to collect massive bounties on the heads of the Secret Six. She manages to poison the meals of her targets, but is defeated by Jeannette
Jeannette (comics)
Jeannette is a fictional character in the . She first appeared in Secret Six #3 , and was created by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.-Publication history:...

.

In Justice League: Cry for Justice
Justice League: Cry for Justice
Justice League: Cry for Justice is a seven-issue comic book limited series, written by James Robinson, drawn by Mauro Cascioli, and published by DC Comics in 2009...

,
Star City is destroyed by Prometheus
Prometheus (comics)
Prometheus is the name of three fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.The first Prometheus debuted in New Teen Titans vol. 2, #24 and was created by Marv Wolfman and Eduardo Barreto . The second version debuted in New Year's Evil: Prometheus Prometheus is the name...

, killing Lian. Cheshire attacks Roy, outraged at him for not keeping Lian safe, injuring him in the process. Both Roy and Cheshire continue to fight however Roy manages to pin Cheshire against the wall. Cheshire loses the will to fight and tearfully recalls the loss of her child. Roy comforts her and the two of them attempt to sleep together. However, due to Roy's impotence he is unable to please Cheshire in bed, which causes more turmoil in Roy's life forcing him to angrily leave.

In Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...

Cheshire's son from her involvement with Catman
Catman (comics)
Catman is a modern version of a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics, initially a supervillain and foe of Batman, although in recent years has developed into a more capable and antiheroic figure. He first appeared in Detective Comics #311...

 (Thomas Blake) is kidnapped, chronologically this takes place after the death of Lian. Catman goes on a murderous rampage believing the child to already be dead only to find the man who orchestrated the kidnapping has given the boy to a loving childless couple and that the kidnapping itself was an act of revenge against Cheshire for murdering his family. Catman, after realizing the child is better left where he is, informs Cheshire that their son is dead. This sends her in to a sorrowfull rage, while Catman tells his son to rest in peace after killing all of the kidnappers involved.

Cheshire is now a member of Deathstroke's new team of Titans. Their first assignment was murdering Ryan Choi
Atom (Ryan Choi)
Ryan Choi is the fourth Atom that appears in DC Comics.-Fictional character biography:Ryan Choi, as described by DC solicitations, is "a young hotshot professor who's filling the extra spot on Ivy University's teaching staff. .. and who inadvertently ends up filling the old Atom's super-heroic...

. It is unforeseen how long she will stay on the team, but it seems one of Deathstroke's goals is to taunt her into overcoming her lost edge after Lian's death. She later contacts Roy, forcing him into joining Deathstroke's team so the two of them can kill Deathstroke. Cheshire rationalizes that Roy "owes" her for Lian's death, but while it appears Roy double-crosses her, it is part of Cheshire's plan. Afterward, Deathstroke and his team arrive at South Pacific Island to kill cult leader Drago over the arena production of blind warriors; however, his team, Cheshire, and Roy betray him, revealing that they had been working with Drago. Cheshire and Roy's plan backfired, because Drago never intended to give Cheshire her freedom back. Their attempt to defeat Drago and escape failed miserably. Later, Drago explained to Cheshire that he needs an heir,and she was going to provide him with one. Drago tries to convince Cheshire to succumb to him, but Drago was reading her mind and using her thoughts against her. Cheshire is rescue by Deathstroke and the Titans. When Drago was defeated, Deathstroke allows him to live and the Titans then leave from his island. Cheshire and Roy choices to re-join the Titans. Upon returning to the labyrinth, Deathstroke reveals to them that his proceeding items were used to create a healing machine called "Methuselah Device" for his dying son, Jericho
Jericho (comics)
Jericho is a fictional character, originally a superhero who was a member of the Teen Titans in the acclaimed 1980s period of The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, published by DC Comics...

. After healing Jericho, Deathstroke claims the machine can also resurrect the dead, offering Cheshire and Roy the chance to revive Lian. Cheshire accepts, but Roy refuses, tells that he has punishing himself for his daughter's death and that Lian is in a better place. Cheshire joined by Tattooed Man and Cinder fighting the other Titans to destroy the Methuselah Device. After Cinder sacrifices to destroy the Methuselah, Cheshire leave and tells Roy that she never forgives him.

Fatherhood question

It was in the Birds of Prey story arc Sensei and Student, that Cheshire herself states that she had found out the real identity of her father, U.S. Senator Robert Pullman. According to her, Senator Pullman raped her mother and left her alone and with child. This would be a retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...

, but it remains to be seen whether Jade is really telling the truth.

Powers and abilities

Besides being a skilled hand-to-hand combatant trained in several martial arts thought forever lost, Cheshire is an expert triple-jointed acrobat and uses this skill to move quickly and unexpectedly. Of bigger concern are her artificial fingernails, which she dips in several varieties of poisons. She gives her weapons and other accessories a similar treatment. In Birds of Prey #63, Black Canary calls her "the second most deadly assassin in the world", only topped by Lady Shiva.

Flashpoint

In the Flashpoint
Flashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...

universe, Cheshire joined with the Amazons' Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...

.

Television and films

  • Cheshire was one of the new villains appearing in season 5 of the Teen Titans
    Teen Titans (TV series)
    Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...

    animated series. She appears as a recruit of the Brotherhood of Evil
    Brotherhood of Evil
    The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...

    . She resembles her comic incarnation, just apparently younger with a cat mask. She has the ability to turn invisible except for the eyes and grin of her mask, much like the Cheshire Cat
    Cheshire Cat
    The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...

     in Alice In Wonderland. She is also extremely skilled at martial arts, and uses her long kimono sleeves, metal claws and her long hair as her primary weapons. She first captures Speedy
    Roy Harper (comics)
    Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...

     for the Brotherhood, and later helps in defeating Herald inside the Brotherhood HQ, but she is not seen for the remainder of the battle.
    As for this character's cultural impact, the Cheshire mask of this version has proven so popular that it appeared in several subsequent animated versions of Cheshire in other DC-related media (see below)


  • Cheshire appears in the Young Justice
    Young Justice (TV series)
    Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...

    episode "Infiltrator" voiced by Kelly Hu
    Kelly Hu
    Kelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...

    . She carries a pair of sai
    Sai (weapon)
    The sai is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle...

     for hand-to-hand combat, and her mask can perform a number of functions such as enhancing footprint images and filtering out poisonous gases. She is initially introduced as a member of the League of Shadows
    League of Assassins
    The League of Assassins is a group of fictional comic book villains, an organization of killers formerly led by Ra's al Ghul, an enemy of Batman in the DC Comics Universe.-Doctor Ebeneezer Darrk:...

     who is sent to assassinate Serling Roquette, a young science prodigy who had previously been kidnapped and coerced into working with for the League. Cheshire ultimately lets the woman live, but reveals that she has a past connection with Artemis (one of the young heroes sent to protect Serling) after she had knocked off Cheshire's mask. This discovery caused Artemis to let Cheshire get away. Later in "Targets", she and Sportsmaster
    Sportsmaster
    The Sportsmaster is the name used by two DC Comics villains who used their sports skills for criminal purposes. The original Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen....

     are hired by Ra's al Ghul
    Ra's al Ghul
    Ra's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...

     to assassinate Lex Luthor
    Lex Luthor
    Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...

     and a pair of diplomats from warring nations. She is foiled by Aqualad
    Aqualad (Jackson Hyde)
    Jackson Hyde is one of two fictional characters codenamed Aqualad. He is a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. Jackson Hyde, created by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, debuted in comic books in Brightest Day #4 and is based on the Aqualad character originally created for the Young Justice...

     and Red Arrow
    Roy Harper (comics)
    Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...

    , making several flirtatious advances to the latter. She also seems to have some history with Sportsmaster. In the episode "Home Front," it is revealed that this version of Cheshire is Artemis' sister who ran away from her father when she was young. She didn't want to bring Artemis with her since she would slow her down.

Film

  • Cheshire makes a sort-of cameo appearance in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
    Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
    Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is a 2010 original direct-to-video animated film released on February 23, 2010. It is based on the abandoned direct-to-video feature, Justice League: Worlds Collide, which was intended as a bridge between the then-concluding Justice League animated television...

    as part of the villainous Crime Syndicate (an alternate version of the Justice League
    Justice League
    The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....

    ). In actuality, her part is taken by Katana
    Katana (comics)
    Katana is a fictional character, a superheroine that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in a special insert in The Brave and the Bold #200 , and was created to be a member of the first Outsiders team by writer Mike W...

     from the Outsiders
    Outsiders (DC Comics)
    The Outsiders are a fictional group of outcasts, comic book characters published by DC Comics. They debuted in 1st Issue Special #10, , and were created by Joe Simon and Jerry Grandenetti.-Publication history:...

    , who attacks - and is swiftly defeated - by Wonder Woman
    Wonder Woman
    Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....

    . In this version, however, Katana also wears a cat mask similar to the Teen Titans series' Cheshire.

Miscellaneous

  • The Teen Titans animated series version of Cheshire appeared in Teen Titans Go! #34. In Teen Titans Go! #39, she appeared again, but her rematch with Speedy
    Roy Harper
    Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...

     was interrupted when Larry the Titan shot the two of them with Cupid
    Cupid
    In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...

    's arrows, causing them to (at least temporarily) fall in love. On the page where all the couples are creating chaos in the Titans Tower, it is seen in the back that Cheshire has taken off her mask to show Speedy her face, but it's shown from the back so the reader isn't able to see her face.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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